Easton grad leads unbeaten Greyhounds with 12 blocks in six games.

As Moravian junior Laura Jordan posed for a picture Tuesday afternoon at the Lehigh Valley Small College Basketball luncheon, her coach, Mary Beth Spirk, took advantage of the opportunity to tower over her.

The 5-foot-2 Spirk hopped on a riser and for once, was looking down on the 6-foot Jordan.

Spirk had a huge smile plastered across her face as she enjoyed the rare chance to be the tall one in the photo.

The best part about watching it all unfold was Jordan's reaction. She was laughing as much as Spirk was.

But that's where the joking and fooling around stops for Jordan. It's all business, all the time on the court.

"Most people when they meet her think she's a little quiet, but once she gets on the court, I don't think she is, which is nice because you want a nice kid, but on the court, you want them to be aggressive and not afraid," Spirk said.

"She's so mature. She's one of our leaders. She knows every position. She's telling people where to go. She's a fantastic person to have out there."

Jordan, an Easton High graduate, said her position — she switches between center and a forward where she has a view of everything — is one reason she's comfortable dishing out advice and instructions to her teammates.

Jordan also knew that with the graduation of Ali Blair, who was a 1,000-point scorer for the Greyhounds, someone had to take the reins as the floor general.

But the other factor that makes her such a good candidate to be a vocal leader dates back much further than her competitive basketball days.

Jordan comes from a big family. More specifically, Jordan comes from a huge family. Her mother is one of 17 children. Her father is one of seven kids. The result is 54 first cousins for Jordan. Don't ask her how many second cousins she has. She has no idea.

Being part of such a large family meant that sometimes to be heard and get what you wanted, you had to be willing to speak up. Jordan did.

"When I was younger, I was always the leader of my age group [of cousins]," Jordan said.

As Jordan got older, speaking up got easier and easier. But adding muscle to her thin frame didn't.

Jordan's minutes were limited in her freshman and sophomore seasons. She had the basketball smarts and the mid-range jumper to be successful, but she didn't have the strength to contend with opponents she was guarding.

So Jordan hit the weight room with fervor in the spring, summer and fall. The days of only being able to bench press the 45-pound bar are long gone. Now she can throw around 100 pounds on the bench. And thanks to all the squats, lunges and step-ups with weights, her vertical jump has improved as have her blocked shot totals and rebounding stats.

In 17.8 minutes per game off the bench a season ago, Jordan averaged just 3.7 rebounds per game and recorded 21 blocks (in 29 games). This year in 24.3 minutes per game as a starter, she's averaging 5.8 boards per contest and already has 12 blocks in six games. She's also upped her scoring average from 5.1 points per game to 7 per game.

Perhaps Jordan's greatest strength is her versatility. She's quick enough to man a guard if Moravian's opponent is on the small side. But she's also adept at taking on the other team's big girl.

"The biggest issue for us was was she going to be able to maintain the minutes and was she ready to take that on physically?" Spirk said. "She's proven it. She's gotten stronger and more aggressive. And you have to get stronger in this game or you'll get beat up or just won't play."

One place Jordan isn't getting beat up is the classroom. Spirk recently checked in with one of her professors because she's been missing a class on Tuesday nights for games more often than Spirk likes. It turned out Spirk was happy she set up the appointment, but it wasn't needed.

"She already had worked everything out with her professor about making up the assignments," Spirk said. "He said Laura was on top of everything. She has her priorities straight. I don't have to worry about her with that stuff."

These days, Jordan and her teammates worry less on the court than they have in the past. The Greyhounds have trailed in all six of their games this season, but have stormed back to win every one. And in four of those six contests, they've poured in more than 41 points in the second half with a season scoring average of 75.

"We've all been talking and we feel like we're going to get the win during the game," Jordan said. "We don't feel like we're the team that's rushing around to pull it off. In other years, that's how it felt."